Cold
by KouenTaisa
Summary: Kurogane hated snow, more than anything. Everytime he laid eyes upon it, he was reminded of Fai... and that hurt. He hated feeling empty and cold, especially when it wasn't the snow's doing.


Author: This is my first Tsubasa story, as you can see. It doesn't hold any spoilers, since little ole me dreamed this up after having a very small Tsubasa frenzy faze.

_Disclaimer: Don't own it and don't need to. If I can just write stories to it, I am happy. Although, I do own a few manga..._

**Cold  
****Drabble**

"_Kuro-rin!" the eager voice echoed throughout the small house. Kurogane was in his room, cleaning his sword just as Fai burst in the door. A wide grin covered his face as he pulled the samurai up from his seat and started back towards the door._

"_What the hell are you doing!" he yelled in outrage as he dropped his sword and was dragged out of his room. The magician continued to drag him without reply towards the front door, only stopping when they had reached the porch. It was then that Kurogane saw what had Fai so excited... it was snowing._

"_Look, Kuro-tan, it's snowing!" he exclaimed with childlike excitement. Kurogane nodded as he looked out over the land, seeing the light layer of snow on the ground. This was something that Fai loved, no matter what world they happened to be in. He turned to look over at Fai, nodded with a half smile. _

"_I see that... the first snow of the year..."_

Kurogane was on his way home from the market, carrying a basket of assorted things in his arms. He could walk the familiar dirt path without really keeping his mind on it. So it was during these trips that he let his thoughts turn to his old friends. Kurogane wondered how Syaoran and Sakura-chan were doing now that they were back home. Of course, when he thought of those two, he just had to remember Fai. The ex-samurai couldn't help but wish he knew where Fai was now, and if he was even a live. Upon returning home, he had married Princess Tomoyo, per her request. It was more of a marriage for safety, not love. Right now, he was staying at a small house in the woods that he had built for himself when he had returned home just two years ago.

They had recovered all of Sakura-chan's feathers, and her memories. In the end, even without remembering Syaoran as she knew him before, Sakura fell in love with him all over again. Kurogane could recall how happy the boy was when she had said so, but even that could not lighten their spirits that much. When the group had been split up to go back home to their own worlds, they have not left on good terms. Actually, it had happened in the middle of a battle in their last world. Kurogane had been fighting with Syaoran, both of them trying to protect Sakura-chan while Fai did his best just off to their right.

Sadly, Kurogane couldn't remember much of that battle, because it was so fast paced. He did remember though, the fact that it had been snowing. Fai had commented earlier that day how happy he was that it was snowing. Kurogane had agreed with him, neither knowing that that would be their last day together. The snow had eventually covered the ground in a thick layer by midday, and that was when they all headed towards town to go eat. Mokona was the one that had alerted them to danger, and without him they probably would have never known.

The battle was rough, and the snow hadn't helped them at all. Maybe, if it hadn't been snowing, Fai would've been able to dodge that attack. Kurogane could remember hearing Fai's cry of pain during the battle. He had turned quickly, leaving Syaoran and running over to the wounded magician. Crimson blood stained the snow white gound, showing just how much blood Fai had lost in just a few seconds. Kurogane had started to pick him up and carry him to safety when the world around him became distorted.

Finally, when he had been able to gather his senses, he realized that he was in a different world... that he was home. As much as he had wanted to be home, back with Princess Tomoyo, he now wanted nothing more than to be with Syaoran, Sakura-chan... and Fai. A grumble escaped him as he felt something cold and wet on his cheek, drawing him out of his thoughts. Red eyes turned skyward, a grimace appearing on their owner's face as he realized what it had been... snow. It was the first snow of the year for his world... and probably the only one they would receive that winter.

Kurogane hated snow, more than anything. Everytime he laid eyes upon it, he was reminded of Fai... and that hurt. He hated feeling empty and cold, especially when it wasn't the snow's doing. The cold hardly ever affected him, but remembering Fai reminded him that there was a place in his heart that was empty and would never be warm again. So, he was cold on the inside, not the outside. A glare appeared on his face as he witnessed the snow covering the ground. To him, every snow, new as it may be, was tainted with Fai's blood. He trudged into the small house, a little surprised to see Princess Tomoyo sitting on his bed.

"It's snowing outside, Kurogane." she stated with a small smile, something that hardly ever graced her features. He nodded as he sat the basket down on the table, turning to look at her.

"Yeah, I know." was his simple reply as he started preparing the food he had brought home. Tomoyo watched him silently for a few moments, gauging his reaction to the snow.

"It's still warm, even with the snow falling."

Kurogane was silent for a few minutes as he started cooking the noddles for the ramen. He turned his eyes away from the pot for just a moment, glancing at the world outside through his window. A shudder escaped him then as he invisioned Fai standing out on the small porching, laughing and smiling because of the snow. For a moment, he allowed himself to find peace in the fact that it was snowing, but it didn't last long. Kurogane turned back to the noddles, a scowl on his face as he stated, "It's not warm, Princess. It's cold."


End file.
